An intersection in downtown Los Angeles was officially dedicated on Thursday as Cooper Do-Nuts/Nancy Valverde Square. This recognition is a tribute to the establishment that played a crucial role in the LGBTQIA+ community’s fight for equality during the 1950s, as well as honoring an influential LGBTQIA+ activist.
The ceremony took place at 9 a.m. at the intersection of Second and Main streets. One of the highlights was Cmdr. Ruby Flores from the Los Angeles Police Department acknowledging and apologizing for the harassment that Valverde and the LGBTQIA+ community experienced in the 1950s.
Cooper Do-nuts, which was situated at 215 S. Main St., was widely known as a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. This distinguished recognition of the intersection as Cooper Do-nuts/Nancy Valverde Square comes from City Councilman Kevin de León’s motion.
Despite the presence of neighboring businesses, such as “The Run” – a strip of bars catering to gay men and gender non-conforming individuals, these establishments often excluded them due to fears of losing their liquor licenses. This exclusion was a result of Municipal Ordinance No. 5022, a citywide ban on cross-dressing between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Nevertheless, Cooper Do-nuts remained a welcoming sanctuary for all members of the queer community, regardless of their gender presentation.
Many historians consider Cooper Do-nuts to be the site of the first LGBT uprising. In May 1959, LAPD officers attempted to arrest two drag queens and two gay men suspected of engaging in sex work. However, they were met with a defiant protest from Cooper Do-nuts patrons who hurled spoons, coffee cups, doughnuts, and coffee at them, forcing the officers to retreat without making any arrests.
Word of this incident quickly spread throughout “The Run,” prompting outraged residents of Los Angeles to take to the streets in protest against this specific injustice and the ongoing discrimination faced by the queer community.
Nancy Valverde, along with her friends Audrey Black and Delores Newton, were students at Moler’s Barber College located a few doors south of Cooper Do-nuts at 265 S. Main St. Soon, Cooper Do-nuts became their regular meeting spot.
Valverde, a woman who presented herself in a more masculine manner, was frequently arrested for violating Ordinance No. 5022 and was often thrown into the Lincoln Heights Jail. This jail had a section mockingly referred to as the “Daddy Tank,” reserved for women suspected of being lesbians.
Determined to challenge this discrimination, Valverde sought help from a clerk at the Los Angeles County Law Library. Together, they found legal rulings that supported Valverde’s defense that wearing men’s clothing was not a criminal act. Valverde shared this crucial information with her lawyer, Arthur Black, who successfully utilized these findings in her defense.
Valverde’s unwavering determination and perseverance paved the way for ending discriminatory laws targeting LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially those who did not conform to traditional gender norms, in Los Angeles.
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